{"id":996,"date":"2018-01-17T19:10:36","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T02:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/?p=996"},"modified":"2018-01-17T19:10:36","modified_gmt":"2018-01-18T02:10:36","slug":"everyday-math-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yycmontessori.ca\/everyday-math-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Everyday Math at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
Maria Montessori wrote the above over a century ago. Today children entering pre-school or kindergarten are expected to know many things that were not required in earlier generations: how to write their names, recognize letters and numbers, and know their address, phone number, parents’ names, etc.<\/p>\n
Knowing and understanding are two different skills, however. Hearing a preschooler repeat such information might mislead you into believing the child understands the concepts involved in putting letters together to make a word or relating numbers to a quantity of items.<\/p>\n
Beginning Math<\/p>\n
Early math concepts have been incorporated into your child’s daily life from a very early age. Maybe you played “So big” with your baby, asking him “How big is baby?” Then you raised his hands over his head when you said, “So-o-o Big.” Or you played “This Little Piggy” when you washed his toes. These are introductions to the concepts of large and small.<\/p>\n
Your everyday activities include vocabulary you might not have thought of as “math.” For example: Naming the\u00a0shapes<\/i>\u00a0of blocks, building a\u00a0tall<\/i>\u00a0or\u00a0short<\/i>\u00a0tower, or counting to see who has\u00a0more<\/i>\u00a0blocks. You might measure and record his height or speak of a gallon or quart of milk. These are all examples of early math concepts that your child is learning unconsciously.<\/p>\n
Counting and Numbers<\/p>\n
Chances are your child can count to ten by the time she goes to pre-school. She has probably been introduced to numbers in a book you have read together or board games you have played. As you go about the day’s activities, for example, you may count together as you climb the steps, fold the laundry, or watch the birds at the feeder.<\/p>\n
A child of two-and-a-half or three can begin counting objects. It is important at this age to concretize numbers by attaching them to objects.\u00a0How many apples are in the bowl? How many people are in the room?<\/i>\u00a0A child will take some time moving from counting by rote to the idea that the numbers correspond to a specific quantity. Keep counting, allowing your child to actively move as he counts things – perhaps his toy cars, his toes, or the crackers on his plate. Most important, keep it casual and spontaneous. He is learning and will demonstrate his understanding of the concept in his own time. It will happen automatically.<\/p>\n
As your child grows, he will begin visually to identify the numerals – perhaps from a book or game you play together. The\u00a0Blue Number Counting Book<\/i>\u00a0introduces flocked numerals that children can touch and trace. The book,\u00a0Butterfly, Colors and Counting<\/i>, shows the numeral next to the butterflies on each page. Try to count items that match, since children may be confused if you are counting diverse objects. Count just the number of feet under the table or only the number of books on the table, rather than both at once.<\/p>\n
More Math At Home<\/p>\n